Don't go to Italy in August if you want to shop

I thought that going to Milan, a mecca for fashion, would be a fun learning experience. You know, learn about what all the fuss is about the big fashion houses. But...no, no, no. At least not during August. It seems that almost all Italians go on vacation and foreigners such as Curt and I, who didn't do any research about it, are left wandering around looking each other and at many closed doors and wondering how the businesses, heck, the country can keep itself solvent with so much time off and lost opportunity for revenue generation. We spent a day in Milan today and had a wonderful time anyway. We found some cool bookstores, had a fabulous lunch and delicious cappuccino while people-watching at a cafe near the Duomo, which, by the way, has a very well done restoration process going on with its exterior.















(marzipan dentures, if you were wondering...)